Kelly is an instructor of creative writing and composition at Oakton Community College in Illinois. In the following essay, Kelly argues that, in spite of its popularity and technical achievements, irregularities in point of view make Puzo's novel weak.

Mario Puzo's 1969 crime epic The Godfather was hugely popular, shattering the sales records of its time. In addition to the number of books put into circulation, it created a trend in novels about organized crime, packing the paperback book racks at airports and drugstores with imitators, each using a copycat book design and using the word "father," "family," or "honor" in its title. But, beyond its popular success, it is not clear whether The Godfather succeeds as literature.

Of course, the two are not mutually exclusive—something can be popular and still be artistically worthwhile—but it is very seldom that a writer can achieve one...